One local teenager expressed disappointment with a new policy to limit teenagers' access to Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, calling it "ridiculous."

Chris Riddle, 16, said he believed it was wrong to penalize the community's teenagers because of the actions of a few.

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"I understand there are teenagers acting rambunctious at the mall, but I don't think all teenagers should be punished because of it," he said. "It's a little unfair that a whole age group gets reprimanded because certain people are acting a certain way. I think it's ridiculous."

Mall officials said they've received complaints about teenagers from merchants and patrons and have seen declining sales as a result. On Thursday, mall officials said they were implementing a new policy to ban teenagers on certain nights unless they were escorted by an adult.

"We're talking about six hours a week, and we're talking about two nights where sales performance has dropped dramatically," said Dennis Cierney, of Hanes Mall.

The new policy also has consequences for parents and guardians. If the teenager is banned from the mall because of bad behavior, the adult will be banned as well. Some parents said they were not happy with the arrangement.

"As much money as I spend at the mall, if I got banned, I would not be happy," said Chris's mother, Rosemary. "Like anything else, it should be taken care of on an individual basis."

Riddle said the mall is discriminating against a valuable group of customers.

"I go there with friends from church often and I think there's a misconception that a lot of teens 'hang out' at the mall and people need to realize that when they hang out, they are still supporting businesses," Riddle said.

He added that he understood the mall's concerns, noting that he had witnessed teenagers misbehaving.

"I see that and some of my friends have had to deal with it before. One of my female friends has been harassed by them," he said.

Riddle said he hopes the mall will consider its new policy. He has posted comments on the mall's Facebook page and will create another page for teens to voice their opposition.